Sides
by Just A Wish Upon A Star
Summary: Camp Half-Blood is in jeopardy. Like, serious trouble. And so this calls for help. And who else to ask then Camp Jupiter? The thing is, the Romans hate their guts. So it's up to Annabeth, Luke, Piper, Leo and Grover to bring them back to help. But what of this son of Neptune? Or, more commonly known as Percy Jackson, proud Roman of Camp Jupiter.
1. Their Hands

**CHAPTER ONE: ****Their Hands**

**Annabeth I**

* * *

Annabeth cast a cautious glance towards the quest leader, Luke Castellan. He seemed edgy, and rightfully so. They were on a special plane, courtesy of the Hephaestus cabin. Making quick progress in the sky was nice. After fully expecting to be trekking across the country to get to their destination, it was a surprise to find they'd be flying.

Truth be told, the Hephaestus kids had done a really good job. The plane was reasonably large, with a small living quarter each, a small sitting room and a cockpit. The bedrooms were tiny, as with the bathroom and everything else, but that made it all the more faster. Everything had to be lightweight, for the plane to soar properly.

Quests were only meant for three people, normally, but this was a different circumstance this time. In this case, the more hands the better. There was Leo Valdez, a curly haired son of Hephaestus, brought along for his mechanic skills, and to make sure the plane ran smoothly. He was stationed at the controls right now. Another addition was Piper McLean, an Aphrodite girl with Cherokee descent. Her use for was negotiation. No doubt that would be important in their mission. Grover was a satyr, who sat shuddering nervously in the corner, crunching nervously on a plastic fork. He was needed for his tracking and wild skills.

Luke was the quest leader. He was a dutiful son of Hermes, and the oldest demigod on the quest. Annabeth had been friends with him since she was seven years old, and she couldn't deny that sometimes she thought of him as something a little bit more.

And she was Annabeth Chase. Wisdom's daughter, counsellor of the Athena cabin. The brains of the quest, Luke had said.

Annabeth peered out the window, blinking at the wisps of clouds that floated past. They had to be high up, she couldn't make out any traces of land. They were probably flying high to avoid questions from mortals. Who knew if the Mist could cover up an airplane?

Suddenly the plane rocked violently, and everyone was thrown to the side. "Sorry!" Leo called from the pilots seat. Annabeth could see his impish grin even from here. He didn't seem at all worried, something which Annabeth wasn't completely reassured about. She had learnt that the mechanics genius was a tad insane a while ago.

"Just a bit of turbulence, is all," he yelled. "Although we might be running a little low on gas."

Grover looked scared out of his wits, and Piper seemed to be appalled. "Leo!"

"Sorry, sorry," Leo cast a nervous glance towards Luke. It was strange, but sometimes the two acted weird around each other. "It's just, we need to land, and.."

Luke seemed to be lost in his own thoughts, his jaw taut and his eyes glazed. Immediately Annabeth knew what was happening. Resisting the urge to bite her lip, Annabeth took charge. "Just land at the nearest gas station, Valdez."

Leo saluted mockingly. "Yes ma'am. This is your Captain speaking, we are coming in for a landing in approximately five minutes."

...

Five minutes later and they were parked close to a gas station. For some reason, the mortals didn't seem to think it was strange that a plane flew in. Turns out the Mist covers even airplanes. Neat.

Leo, Piper and Grover had gone to the store to get gas, and some drinks and things. Annabeth had volunteered her and Luke to stay behind on the plane.

Annabeth curled up next to Luke. "You had another one, didn't you? Another vision?"

Luke's jaw tightened again, and Annabeth could tell he was stressed. "Yeah," he admitted. "I saw these..." He frowned, as if it was difficult to remember. "These kids. A guy, with black hair, and a blonde dude. Very, very powerful. And very, very dangerous. They're important, I think."

"Anything else?" Annabeth questioned earnestly, leaning forward slightly towards him.

"I think they're Roman." It was silent for a long time. Annabeth took the time to think things over. Two dangerous kids, both Romans? Hopefully they would be kind. Otherwise, who knew what would happen. The whole plan rested on the Romans. If they refused to cooperate, well then, who knows what would happen.

"That's good, isn't it?" She tried her best to be optimistic, but both of them knew it was a lie. It wasn't good. "Luke.. When are you going to tell the others?"

Luke grimaced, his eyes becoming cold and darker. Annabeth held back a shiver. She hated when he did that. "I told you, I'm not telling them."

Annabeth got a bitter taste in her mouth, irritation swelling up. "You have to tell them! They don't know what they're getting into. This is dangerous territory. Lives are at stake," she pleaded.

"Lives are always at stake, Annabeth!"

Annabeth recoiled slightly, before leaning forward. She was not about to give up. Her pride would not allow her. "But we can help save their lives. It's not fair when you don't know what you're getting into. You have to-"

She was cut off when the airplane door swung open, and three figures made their way in. Annabeth clamped her mouth shut quickly, but she shot a look over to Luke. She hoped that he would think about it. If not, she might just have to tell them herself... And she didn't want to betray Luke's trust.

"Hey, you miss me?" Leo grinned, holding up a wrench and a coil of rope. His hands were smudged and oily, and he stunk like gas. "Got these in case of an emergency."

"What exactly did you do to yourself?" Annabeth asked, helping Piper up onto the plane.

Piper rolled her eyes, placing a shopping bag on the floor. "He had a bit of a problem with the plane. Apparently it was faulty."

Grover emerged, crunching on a crushed can. "Hey, good thing we have a lot of mortal money. These cans are good!"

Annabeth rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips. As Luke joined the conversation and the others kept talking, Annabeth tuned out and delved through the bag, looking to see what had been brought. A few bags of crisps, some cans of soda and a muffin each. Not healthy in the slightest, but Annabeth couldn't care less. She was just grateful that they had food.

She turned back to the conversation just in time to hear the others discussing coordinates. "How far have we got to go, Leo?" She handed everyone a muffin and popped open cans of soda.

"About fifteen, twenty minutes if we keep going at the rate we were earlier. And if the weather's good."

"What are we waiting for then?" Piper smiled, and she gave a high-five to Leo and Grover. Annabeth felt a twinge of guilt, and she cast a meaningful glance to Luke, who was now suddenly very interested in his muffin.

"Let's go!" Grover bleated, sounding slightly muffled from behind the tin can he was munching on.

Leo charged to the cockpit, and this time Annabeth stood. "I'll join you, Leo."

"Great!" Leo cheered, flicking on the engines and gesturing to the seat behind him.

...

Down below was Camp Jupiter. Roman soil. New territory. Annabeth warned the others to be careful. But she couldn't help but admire their camp. It could hardly be called a camp. More like... a civilisation, a colony of people. As they descended lower and closer, Annabeth could make out the arches and columns, so impressive they made her architectural side spin.

"It's beautiful.." She couldn't help but murmur, drawing a disapproving look from Luke.

"Don't get too attached," he warned, drawing his sword. "This is the enemy we're talking about."

"A brainwashed enemy," Leo snorted from the cockpit. "Who names their camp after just one of the gods? Or, why couldn't they have chosen a better god? Like... Camp Hephaestus!"

Annabeth waited for lightning to zap them out of the sky, but to her surprise, there was only a faint rumble of thunder. It made her heart heavy. Things must've been getting worse.

"It would be Vulcan," Annabeth corrected. "That's the Roman equivalent. And Ze- Jupiter is the king of the gods. It only makes sense."

"But what about Hera? Does the queen mean nothing?"

Piper snatched a can from Grover (much to the satyrs' protesting) and threw it at Leo, much to Annabeth's approval. "Shut up, Repair Boy, and land us without crashing!"

It took only a few seconds before they were parked on the ground. Annabeth clutched her dagger protectively, before climbing out after Luke. Immediately they were met with yells. Lots of yelling. A statue was cursing at them, spewing such foul words Annabeth couldn't even begin to think on it all. And thinking was her specialty.

"Greeks!" The statue screeched maniacally. "Horrible, vile, stinking, putrid, terrible-"

"I think we get it," Leo muttered.

"-Greeks! How dare you invade our land, park your.. your..." The statue was spluttering now. "Machine on Roman turf! Move! Leave, now! I command it! If I was at full strength, I would blast you so far away you-"

"Terminus! Please," a strict voice wearily pleaded the statue. Suddenly, a party of people crested the horizon. Lots, and lots of people, all geared up and armed. Annabeth couldn't help but swallow. She held up her knife threateningly.

A girl stepped forward, one who looked like leader. She had long brown hair, and looked very imposing, with a purple cape. Annabeth noted that while all of them had weapons, none passed the point where the statue was placed. Terminus, the girl had called him.

"_Graceus_," the girl snarled. "What is your business on Roman grounds."

A weakly blonde guy with toys hanging from his belt scowled, crying, "Kill them! They are Greeks, are long sworn enemies! They want nothing but blood and Roman guts!"

The crowd seemed to tense, surging forward as one, but the girl held them back. Annabeth prepared to launch her dagger, but it was blasted out of her hands. She recoiled, gasping in pain. She noticed that her companions now had no weapons as well.

"Ha!" Terminus cried, and Annabeth knew he had something to do with it. "Insufferable Greeks, breaking the rules and trespassing!"

"What are we waiting for?" The blonde guy crowed. "Attack!"

"No!" The girl cried, spreading her arms out. "Wait." The people seemed to listen to her. The girl examined them with suspicious eyes. "Speak for yourselves," the girl gestured with her weapon. "Explain. Before we kill you."

Luke focused his pleading eyed on Annabeth, and suddenly she was in the spotlight. Feeling numb without her dagger, she spoke, her voice nice and clear. "We are Greeks. We come from Camp Half-Blood, a camp for demigods, just like this, except for the Greek."

"Why have you come?"

"We.." The words were dry in her mouth. "We need your help. I assume you've heard of Gaea? Well, she's coming back. And she's evil. She wants to take over the world. And she's coming to invade our camp, with hoards and hoards of monsters."

"And how does this concern us?"

Her voice cracked. "We need you to help us fight. Otherwise... We're going to die."

"Let them die!" Someone cried, and Annabeth felt anger crackling at her. They would just cast away lives for their ancestors grudges?

"Why would we help you?" The girl challenged.

"Because your camp will be next," Piper said, braving the Romans. She detected a hint of charmspeak. "After we're gone. If we join forces, we could win."

"But we need your help," Luke finished. "Please. We ask for nothing else."

It was silent for a long time. And then the girl said, "You are not an attack party, that much is obvious. You're much too weak for that. Jason, what do you think?"

A good-looking blonde guy frowned, as if judging them. Luke's eyes widened, and Annabeth couldn't comprehend why. "We should interrogate them more. Decide whether to spare them or not. They are Greeks."

The girl looked grim, as if his word was the final decision. "Bring the two blondes to the _Principia_. The other three can go in the cells until further notice." She paused. "Check them for weapons. Even the faun."

A couple of Romans surged forward and grasped Piper, Leo and Grover, tugging them away. Annabeth didn't like them, but when she glanced over to Luke to ask if she should protest, he shook his head.

Annabeth bit her lip as Grover bleated that he wasn't a faun. Piper was attempting to plead people with her charmspeak, and Leo was fiddling with something in his hands, only for it to be snatched away quickly.

The remaining Roman's fixed their gazes on Annabeth and Luke, and she resisted the urge to twitch uncomfortably. Instead, she raised her head and focused on being brave. The brunette girl and the blonde boy talked quietly for a second, before the boy called, "You two. Come with us to the _Principia_. The rest of you resume your duties. Frank Zhang, Hazel Levesque, organise some guards for the other Greeks, then come and wait outside the _Principa_ for further orders."

The girl marched away with her cape flowing behind her. The blonde boy pushed Annabeth and Luke forward, and soon they were walking along a path, the other Romans long gone.

"What are your names?" The girl questioned roughly, slowing her pace slightly. Annabeth thought about lying, but the two's weapons looked menacing.

"Luke Castellan and Annabeth Chase," Luke answered for her, looking brave.

"And you're demigods?" The blonde guy frowned at them in confusion. "Greek demigods?"

"Son of Hermes, and Daughter of Athena."

The girl and boy seemed to exchange nervous looks. "Minerva?"

"Athena, yes," Annabeth corrected. She got a bad feeling that Athena's roman counterpart wasn't quite so respected here.

"We have lots to talk about," the girl decided. Finally they arrived at a building, where the Romans herded them inside. The building was tall, about two-stories, made from a white marble, and with columns supporting an overhanging roof.

The inside was much grander. The floor was made from the same white marble, but the walls were velvet, and when Annabeth glanced up, she caught her breath. The ceiling was coated with a gleaming mosaic.

"The _Principia_," the boy introduced. He and the girl both took seats at a desk, gesturing for Annabeth and Luke to do the same.

Annabeth sat cautiously, exchanging a wary glance with Luke.

"I'm Jason Grace, son of Jupiter and a Praetor," the blonde guy started off.

"Reyna," the girl replied simply, making Annabeth raise her eyebrows. "Praetor of the Twelfth Legion. Why are you here, and why should we help you? You're only _Graceus_."

"We told you already," Annabeth spoke up defiantly. She ignored Luke's warning look. "Gaea's back, and our camp is going to be destroyed. We'll be goners without help."

She focused her steely gaze to Reyna's. "Gaea's not just against the Greeks. She's going to pulverise your camp too."

"The world," Luke added. "She's going to take over the world."

It was silent for a long, long time. Jason and Reyna seemed to have a silent conversation. "We'll think about it," Jason finally decided. Annabeth couldn't help but be enraged. People were dying and they just wanted to 'think about it'?

She opened her mouth, but Reyna held up a hand. "You'll be separated into different cohorts temporarily. Our cells are.. Occupied, and this way you can't plan escape, or betray any of us," she fixed her stern gaze on them. "You, Annabeth Chase. Daughter of Minerva. It is only fitting you are slotted into the Fifth Cohort."

Annabeth frowned. What was going on with the Fifth Cohort?

"Luke Castellan, you can be in the Third Cohort."

"What about the faun and the others?" Jason frowned. "Fourth Cohort for the faun?"

"Yes," Reyna nodded. "But for now, we'll take care of these too. We'll look after the others in a moment. Frank, Hazel."

Two people emerged from outside, where apparently they had been waiting. There was a buff Asian guy with a chubby face, and a dark skinned girl with curly brown hair.

"The girl is to go to the Fifth Cohort." Annabeth was herded away before she could say goodbye to Luke. This was bad, really bad.

As they walked forward, the two Romans introduced themselves as Frank Zhang, son of Mars and Legacy of Poseidon, and Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto. She was instantly reminded of Bianca and Nico, two Greek kids who's father was Hades.

"You must of gotten on Reyna's bad side to get put in the Fifth Cohort," Frank remarked, and Annabeth shrugged. The two were friendly enough, and by their body language they were dating, or at least liked each other. But even though they were nice, Annabeth couldn't help but hate them a little bit. They were still Romans, and soon her camp was going to be gone, while the Romans laughed and joked around.

"Reyna mentioned something about me being the daughter of Athena."

Hazel's eyes dimmed in knowing. "Oh, Minerva. Yeah.. You might have a bit of trouble gaining respect."

"I'm a Greek, I'm not going to get any respect anyway," Annabeth reasoned. "What's so bad about Minerva?" She couldn't help but defend her mother. "Do they not like her?"

"No.." Hazel looked kind of apologetic. "We respect her. She is the goddess of battle strategies after all. It's just that she's a virgin goddess.."

Realisation dawned on Annabeth, and she couldn't help but flush slightly. "Oh. I get it... So.."

"No children," Frank confirmed. "I thought Athena was a virgin goddess as well..?"

Annabeth's attempted to cool her burning face. Talking about how she came to be made her uneasy. "It's.. complicated. What's wrong the Fifth Cohort?" She changed the subject abruptly.

Frank shrugged. "We're probably the least respected Cohort. We're kind of the misfits.. It's getting better though. Jason's helping as Praetor, and Percy is gaining reputation as well.."

"Not to mention you, Frank," Hazel smiled. Frank blushed.

"Thanks, Hazel."

Annabeth stayed silent for the next few minutes, before Hazel halted them quickly, running into a building and returning with three cups, offering one to Annabeth. Curious as to Hazel's kindness, she took it, peering inside. Hot chocolate.

"Aren't you supposed to be all mean to me? I'm kind of your prisoner, and your long time enemy."

Hazel and Frank exchanged looks. "We don't believe in being rude to different people. I mean, I'm a daughter of Pluto. That doesn't earn me a lot of respect. So you're a Greek. Why do we have to hate you?"

Annabeth couldn't answer that question. She was surprised when they finally arrived at four buildings.

"Welcome to the Fifth Cohort," Frank introduced with fake enthusiasm. He pointed to the furthest cabin. "That's your barrack there." She was led inside, where many Romans shot her dirty looks. Annabeth glared at them all in return. The cabin - or barrack as Frank had called it - looked pretty simple. About ten beds, a few desks, that was all. Annabeth appreciated simplicity. It helped her to think, gave her breathing space, but this place was... bare. No photos were pinned on the walls, no posters.

Annabeth sat on her given bed. She wanted nothing more than to be alone, but she knew that the Romans would never leave a Greek unwatched. Honestly, she was just surprised that they weren't locked up in a cell. She pulled out her Yankees cap, casting a sideways glance to Hazel and Frank, who were talking not far away. Annabeth could slip on the cap, turn invisible and sneak away. But something stopped her. Camp Half-Blood was in danger. She couldn't just escape and dash any chances of help from the Romans. Worry churned in her gut. And she wished she had her dagger with her. It always made her feel more secure.

As thoughts kept spinning in her head, one stuck out the most. Would her camp still be standing when - if she returned?

...

They were gathered in a building now, feasting on food. Annabeth had to acknowledge that the Romans dined well. Annabeth finally got to meet up with the others. They seemed mostly okay, although Grover was disgruntled after having seen how fauns were treated. They were separated from the Romans, having been put in a building with guards posted outside. Two dogs, one silver and the other gold were also prowling around outside.

"What did they say?" Piper whispered.

"They're still deciding," Luke looked worried, his face tight and making him look older than he actually was.

Grover bleated mournfully. "I miss Juniper. And Camp Half-Blood."

Piper blinked sympathetically. "We all miss Camp, Grover."

Leo fiddled with his cup, having drained it already. "What can we do? We have to get back soon, else.."

"Annabeth, do you still have your cap?" Luke looked hopeful, and Annabeth nodded.

"Yeah, but I don't like the look of those dogs. They're not normal ones, that's for sure."

Annabeth grabbed a slice of pizza, munching on it although she wasn't particularly hungry.

"We'll figure it out," Luke promised. "We'll get the Roman's trust."

"I sure hope so," Leo mumbled, and Annabeth couldn't help but agree with him. Things were resting all in the Roman's hands, and this time there was nothing Annabeth could do.

* * *

**A/N: **

So yes, this is my new story! God(s) knows if I'm actually going to finish this one, but I'm pretty excited for it, so hopefully. Percy has not been introduced yet, so you'll have to wait a little while for that. The next chapter, maybe? Again, we'll see! The characters will probably not be quite in character, so sorry about that.

And, obviously things have changed slightly. As you can see Luke is alive (and good, yay!) and so is Bianca (well, for now at least).

Anyway, thanks for reading!


	2. No Game

xxx

* * *

**CHAPTER TWO:**** No Game**

**Reyna II**

* * *

Reyna rose early in the morning. Not that she normally woke up late, but today there was to be a senate meeting, discussing the Greeks that had arrived yesterday. Honestly, she wasn't sure quite what to do. Five Greeks arriving from another camp, they say?

And they claim that Gaea is rising and wanting to destroy the world. Reyna wants to laugh at the ridiculousness of the idea. But yet, something tells her that the Greeks are not lying. Still, they may have been brainwashed. Aurum and Argentum did not think that the Greeks were lying either.

Still, Camp Jupiter was going through their own problems. They could not afford to drop everything and rush off to help their long-sworn enemy. Not only would that be unwise, but many Romans would be against it, Octavian especially.

The cursed child of Apollo was only stirring things up more. Reyna was concerned on how power-hungry Octavian was becoming. Soon things would have to be done if he kept riling people up.

Reyna tied her hair into her classic braid, and made herself look presentable. There was nothing worse than a sloppy Praetor, in her opinion. She dressed in a traditional purple toga, adding her usual purple SPQR cape to the outfit. Reyna managed to slip in a weapon, even though she knew Terminus would only take it away. However, it was always good to have backup. She knew from personal experience.

Aurum and Argentum whined and growled at Reyna, begging to come along with her to the meeting, but she shook her head at them. "No. You must stay here. Things will be tense at the meeting." Her lips curved in a small smirk. "And we wouldn't want to frighten the Greeks too much, would we?"

And with that, she swept out of the room, greeting Jason, who was already waiting outside, dressed in similar attire to her, his blonde hair slicked back neatly, and with a measured expression on his face. "I'm surprised you're awake," she raised an eyebrow at him. While Jason was proper and a true Roman, he was more laid-back and enjoyed his sleep. The blonde boy smiled, although it seemed a bit strained.

"Why is that a surprise to you? It's an important meeting today."

Reyna darkened slightly. "Yes. Let's go."

"Are the Greeks coming?" Jason asked lightly, his hand dropping to his hilt, something which Reyna did not fail to catch.

"Unfortunately, yes. We need them to answer some more questions."

...

Once everyone was assembled and de-weaponed, thanks to Terminus and his little assistant, Reyna started, wanting to cut to the chase. "The Greeks claim that Gaea, or Terra, if you'd rather, is taking over, and supposedly evil."

"She is," the faun insisted. Grover, Reyna remembered his name was. It was strange that they let a faun go on a quest. They were good for nothing and lazy creatures, but apparently Greek saw them as different.

"Reyna," Octavian looked annoyed at the Greeks presence. "Maybe we should talk where there aren't enemy ears."

Reyna cast a sidelong glance at them. The two blondes, the faun, the curly haired Vulcan boy and the pretty brunette girl. A strange bunch. Carefully, she spoke in Latin to them. "_You Greeks know nothing. You are a bunch of dimwitted idiots._"

When they didn't respond, Reyna cast a satisfied look to Octavian. "_They don't speak Latin._" To the Greeks, she leaned forward, her eyes glinting slightly.

She pointed towards the blonde girl, the daughter of Minerva. Or rather, Athena. "Strange, for a daughter of wisdom to not understand the language of their enemies."

Annabeth scowled at her. "We don't need Latin to determine your loss." Reyna smiled faintly. This girl had spirit, that was for sure.

Turning back to the Senate meeting, she continued in the Roman language. "_What do you vote we do? Aurum and Argentum have proven that the Greeks do not lie. However, Camp Jupiter is not without our own troubles._"

Octavian snarled, gripping one of the soft toys that hung from his belt. "_I say we send them back. Or better, execute them. They're Greeks, for gods' sake! They want nothing but revenge on us Romans._"

Several murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd, and Reyna worried a little. "_And what if what they claim is true? What will we do then? They said Ter- Gaea would come after us next. Surely if their camp_," she pointed to the group in the corner, "_Cannot withstand Mother Earth's forces, we have no hope._"

"_We have better, more fierce warriors_," Octavian retorted. It had now just become a battle between Reyna and Octavian, the others just spectators.

"_And what of the deceased Greek camp? Do you wish for the Twelfth Legion to be known for the rest of history as the Legion that let an entire camp, an entire Greek generation to burn and die?_" The silence was deafening, all gazes focused on Octavian.

When the blonde Roman did not respond, Reyna relaxed slightly, becoming less tense. "_What shall we do, Romans?_"

"_We should send half of our troops_," Jason started up, much to Reyna's relief. The son of Jupiter was always relied on to keep things calm and civil. "_That way, we have half of our warriors if something goes wrong. Half of our legionnaires should be enough to help with Gaea's forces. We can always send for reinforces, can we not_?"

Reyna nodded, approving of Jason's idea. "_All in favour of Jason?_" More than half of the recruits held their hands up, seeming to like the Praetor's idea. Reyna only smiled grimly, sending a satisfied look in Octavian's direction. That man was a sneaky snake, able to swerve people's thoughts and change their minds with clever words. However, it seemed that this time Reyna and Jason had won.

"_Then it's settled._" Switching back to English, she turned to the Greeks. "We will send half of our troops to help you. The other half will stay behind. This better not be treachery."

The blonde son of Hermes, Luke, surged forward. "How do we know that you won't betray _us_?"

Annabeth nodded in agreement, although she looked very wary. "We want to have one of the Romans on our plane."

Reyna narrowed her eyes. If they wanted to play hostages, then so be it. While Reyna had supported the Greeks, she would not hesitate to cast them out. Her Camp always came first, and most important. That was an unspoken rule of hers, and she was sure all Praetors. At least, she hoped Jason thought that way as well. "Then we insist on having a Greek in our care."

"I'll go with the Greeks." To Reyna's surprise, Jason offered. Her hopes sunk slightly. She didn't want him going with them. However she nodded.

"If you're sure.."

"I am. You'll have to stay behind to look after the Legion." Reyna nodded, although she didn't like the thought of it. Shouldering the Praetors burden all by herself? That would be a difficult task, one that she was not quite sure she could complete.

"I'll go with the Romans," Leo, the curly haired Vulcan boy, offered earnestly, but Reyna glared at him.

"No. The girl, daughter of Athena will travel with the fleet." The girl looked uncomfortable, but to her credit she braved it with a small nod. A little trickle of admiration was beginning to grow for the Greek girl, however Reyna wanted to deny it.

"This meeting is over," Jason decided, and Reyna had to agree with him. Too much drama and tension had gone on in one meeting, and she was sure Octavian was going to burst with pent up anger.

"Pick people from your Cohort to attend the battle," Reyna said, sweeping her cloak to one side and closing up the meeting. "Choose wisely. It may be a hard and furious battle. _Senatus__ Populusque Romanus."__**  
**_

...

"Reyna!"

She looked up from her notes to see a familiar black-haired, green-eyed boy running towards her, dressed in the typical Camp Jupiter gear; jeans and a purple t-shirt. He also had some random armour on, and he held his pen in one hand. While the pen looked harmless, Reyna knew what it transformed to. He was the only one in the whole camp who had a Celestial Bronze weapon, much to the envy of many other campers.

"Percy," she greeted. "Should you not be organising troops to attend the battle at the Greek camp?"

He seemed kind of flustered. "Yeah, that's kinda what I wanted to talk to you about. It's not safe for me to travel by air, being that Neptune and Jupiter are rivals and all."

Reyna frowned at him. "What are you saying?"

"We need a boat," Percy said bluntly.

"Percy, that's not..."

"I know, I know," Percy frowned, shoving his hands in his pockets awkwardly. "But I'll be blasted if I go up into the sky. Look, just one boat for me and a couple of others. We can even build a special room for the Greek girl that's coming with us," he pleaded.

Reyna hesitated, almost going to say no. A boat would only take up valuable resources and cost. But yet, a boat could be useful in the future, especially with a son of Neptune around. Also, it was sort of hard to resist Percy's pleading gaze. "Fine. I'll get the Vulcan kids to get started on it. But this means the Greek kid will be on your ship. And if you sink, you're on your own. You'll need to find kids willing to go on a boat as well."

"I will," Percy grinned his famous troublemaker grin, seemingly undeterred, and Reyna couldn't help but lift up the corners of her mouth up a little as well. Smiles were infectious. "Don't worry about it!"

"Oh, I'll be worrying about it. This isn't a game, Percy." Hesitantly, she reached up to give him a friendly hug. Of course she'd skewer anyone who found out that she had actually hugged someone, but for now she got over it. "Come back alive, son of Neptune."

"I guess I'll try too." Even though Reyna couldn't quite see, she knew his grin had faded slightly. She honestly couldn't blame him. War was a real thing, as was death. So things were not to be taken lightly. Death and war being two of them.

Allying alongside Greeks was a dangerous game to play, but Reyna hardly ever played safe.

* * *

**Thank You's:** Music is life and death, Rodolfo velez 5555, Your Name Goes Here, ParadoxalPaladin, Bellarox2002, koolcat857, The Shadow of the Wolf and everyone who reads this. Thank you so much!

**Reviews: **

Guest - Thank you very much! Hopefully this chapter did Percy justice for you.

**A/N: **

So this chapter was a bit shorter. Sorry! It's uploaded a little earlier, as I'm going to be away for the next few days, and I wanted to get this up. Hope you enjoy it! This is Reyna's point of view, and as you may be able to tell she might have a bit of a crush on some people. It was actually really hard to write Reyna, hence the shorter chapter. Unfortunately, there's not too much that happens in this chapter, but here you go! I hope you enjoyed it!

Also, as for updates, I'm still not entirely sure if they're going to be daily or not. However, I managed to get this one out at a good time, so that's good, I guess. Anyway, thanks to all that read and favourited/followed. It really makes it worth it! Thank you!


	3. The Salacia

xxx

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**CHAPTER THREE:**** The Salacia**

**Annabeth III**

"Annabeth?"

She froze, unclenching her hands from the blanket that lay on the simple barrack bed. Glancing up, she saw a familiar chubby face looking curiously at her. Frank Zhang. It was strange, for once his girlfriend wasn't by his side. Normally the two stuck together.

"Where's Hazel?" Annabeth asked tightly, leaning against the wall. Her body itched to move around, to leave, but she knew that would only raise suspicion. She had to bide her time, wait until it was perfect timing. But perhaps she could gain a little bit of help...

"She's out talking with her brother." Annabeth frowned. The way Hazel had put it, it sounded like she was the only child of Pluto, and that it was a bad thing. Still, she brushed it to the back of her mind, where many other things were stored. Right now, more important things needed to happen.

Annabeth pulled her Yankees cap from under her pillow, and held it up to Frank. He seemed to be confused, and rightfully so. If Annabeth didn't know what it's magic properties were, she'd be puzzled as well. After all, it was just a simple Yankees cap, right?

"Annabeth... What are you doing?"

"I have to see Luke," she explained. Frank's expression seemed to tighten with a mix of nervousness and anxiousness. Annabeth suddenly wondered if telling him was a good idea. But he seemed friendly enough. Annabeth hoped that she could depend on him not to report her to the Romans.

"Annabeth, that isn't such a great idea.."

"Please," she pleaded, getting to her feet. Frank drew his weapon, but Annabeth stayed where she was. "You can trust me. I know I'm a Greek, but I mean no harm. I swear. I just... Just let me visit Luke. I want to talk to him. Just talking, nothing else! I won't escape, I won't do anything else. We've secured your help. Why would I want to break that trust by murdering you?"

"Do you have any idea how much trouble I could be in?" Frank was whispering now, even though there was no one around besides them. The barrack was empty, something which was rare. It was some sort of training exercise, Annabeth thought. She had learned to pick up a lot in her lifetime, a skill which helped greatly now. "I could be banished from Camp, thrown in the jail cells."

"They're occupied," Annabeth remembered, playing with the fabric of her Yankees cap.

"That's not the point. Some acts are even punishable by death," Frank hissed, looking stressed.

"So you'll help me?" Annabeth felt her hopes rise quickly, silently thanking the gods for whatever they had done to influence Frank. She'd have to give them even more offerings when she next got the chance.

"Yeah," Frank said wearily, casting nervous glances around them. He seemed unnaturally skittish. "But how are you going to get to him without being seen?"

Annabeth almost ran forward and hugged him, but she restrained herself. The guy had a girlfriend, who might take it the wrong way. "Thank you." Holding up her hat, she smiled. "This is where this comes through. I won't mention you at all, even if they torture me." She placed her cap on her head, smiling to herself as Frank's eyes grew wide.

She jogged her invisible self out the door, waving goodbye to Frank although she knew he couldn't see it.

...

"Luke, Luke, it's me." Annabeth approached a familiar blonde haired man with relief, weaving around various Romans. It had been a job to find Luke, searching through the various Cohorts to find him. There had been a lot of close calls, one including almost running into the skinny blonde guy, who she faintly remembered as being called Octavian. The guy had paused and glared at the thin air for a long time, and Annabeth had been terrified that somehow he could see through her cap's special powers, and see her standing there.

She tapped Luke on the shoulder, and he jumped, spinning around with a snarl. Annabeth was taken aback by her fierce he looked, before he relaxed.

"Annabeth? Where are you?" Annabeth felt like throwing her arms around him and kissing him on the cheek, but she figured that might be a bit weird, seeing as she was currently hidden under her invisible cap.

A stocky girl with black hair - whom Annabeth hadn't noticed before - turned, snapping at Luke. "Who are you talking to, _Graceus_?" She had a long yellow (Imperial Gold, maybe?) sword that dangled off her pelt threateningly.

Annabeth felt like sticking her dagger in the snarling girl's throat, but Luke only ran a hand easily through his blonde hair and shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, Bay. Just talking to myself. Listen, I need to use the bathroom."

Annabeth clicked onto his chain of thought immediately. She began to sneak towards the door, keeping careful tabs on the two. She was grateful that the bathroom was not far off. Very convenient. "I told you not to call me that!" The girl, Bay, grunted. "Go to the bathroom. But no funny business. I'll be waiting outside. And I'm not afraid to bust in and slit your throat with this sword!" She pointed to her weapon, baring her teeth. This girl clearly had something against Greeks.

"Of course." Luke crossed over to the bathroom, holding the door open for a split second longer than he should. Annabeth took the time to slip in through the doors, purposely brushing against Luke to let him know she was inside.

Once the door swung closed and Luke locked it, Annabeth tore her cap off. "Annabeth, how did you escape?" Luke demanded, his voice low. She threw her arms around him quickly, before stepping back just as fast.

Slightly disappointed that he did not seem to miss her at all, she smiled at him. "My guards are a bit nicer than yours."

Annabeth took a moment to rake her gaze over Luke. He had dark rings under his eyes, and he looked weary. His scar looked more taut and dark then ever. His hair was lacking some of it's usual shine, and his expression was filled with worry. Annabeth reached out a hand to him, frowning. "What's wrong?"

"The visions. They're much stronger here. That blonde Praetor, he's one of the people in my dreams." It made sense, she guessed. That explained why Luke had seemed so wide-eyed at seeing him yesterday.

"Jason? He's powerful, but I think the other girl, Reyna, has more status here. What's bad about him?" She paused, searching his blue eyes for answers. He was keeping something from her, that much was obvious. And she hated being kept in the dark. "And what about the other one? Have you seen the black-haired one around here?"

Luke shook his head, leaning against the wall. "No. Not yet. Annabeth.." His eyes flickered uncertainly. "I'm scared."

Annabeth couldn't help but be surprised. Luke Castellan, forever brave son of Hermes was scared? She wrapped her arms around him, wishing he wasn't quite so much taller than her. "Don't be. I'll be with you. We'll be there for each other, remember?" She hoped he still remembered. Annabeth could still easily think back to when she was seven, being offered a knife by Luke.

Luke's eyes darkened, and Annabeth got a bad feeling that she'd done something horribly wrong. "That changed when Thalia died, Annabeth."

Thalia Grace. Daughter of Zeus, and possibly the bravest girl Annabeth had ever met. She and Luke together had helped Annabeth when she was seven. They'd been running to Camp.. To safety, with Grover. And then Thalia made the ultimate sacrifice. She stayed back to beat monsters. She'd given up her life so the others could make it to Camp safely.

Annabeth sucked in her breath at the memory, about to retort with something witty and hopefully soothing, when someone rapped on the door. "Hurry up! How long does it take, Greek?" The girl muttered something in Latin, and Annabeth knew their time was up. She took a step back and pulled her cap back over her head.

"I know things have changed," she murmured sadly.

...

It was a clear sunny day, worthy of the enchanted days back at Camp Half-Blood. Annabeth felt a painful pang of longing for her home, and she prayed with all her soul that when they returned, the Camp and it's dwellers still stood strong.

It had been two days since her secret discussion with Luke. She had not pushed for anymore meetings, especially as Frank was still edgy about the other one, but she longed to see her friends once again. They had not all been together since the dinner on the first night. Annabeth had never felt more lonely.

But today it was time to set off. There was no time - or space, to mourn for her social life. More important things were at stake right now, like the Camp, and possibly the safety of the world. It sounded like one of those typical cheesy action movies that she liked to curl up and watch with Piper. But if it was one of those typical action movies, who was the superhero? Not her, that was certain. She was just the useful sidekick, that silly blonde girl who tagged along just to attract male viewers, who came up with ideas and watched as the hero saved the world. Maybe Luke was the knight in shining armour, the hero who dashed in to save the world at the last minute.

Annabeth shook her head clear of those thoughts quickly. She was just tugging her hair up into an efficient ponytail - she believed loose hair just delayed her battle skills - when someone approached from behind. She was surprised to see Reyna, looking very serious, and beautiful with her dark hair. Annabeth felt a jolt of envy. She always wished for dark hair. Blondes were always associated as dumb, and Annabeth knew she was anything but that.

"Isn't Praetor a busy job, running around and preparing troops?"

Reyna smiled dryly. "Yes, and that's what I'm doing. Jason's getting people organised into their various carriers. I came here to take care of the Greeks." She held out a bag of some sort, filled with things. Annabeth accepted it warily, peering inside. Clothes, toiletries and...

"My dagger?" She blinked, wondering why Reyna would hand an enemy a weapon in the heart of their camp.

"I thought it would be wise to arm you. The journey there will be difficult, especially for you. And if you as much as lay a finger on my people, you'll regret it, I'm sure."

"Why will the journey be difficult for me?" Annabeth found it wise to be suspicious, narrowing her eyes and clutching the hilt of the dagger close to her. She slotted it back into her sheath, feeling a sense of relief spread through her.

"Unfortunately, you and a group of Roman warriors will be travelling by boat," Reyna pursed her lips, and Annabeth could sense she was unhappy with this fact. "While air travel is better, unfortunately we have a son of Neptune who cannot travel in air. And he insists on attending."

"Gaea has more control over sea," Annabeth guessed, and by Reyna's uncomfortable look in return, she had guessed right. "So it's more dangerous."

"If I find the ship pulling up with my legionnaires dead, it will not be pretty," Reyna glared daggers at Annabeth, but the blonde daughter of Athena only mustered a smile. Grudgingly, she had to respect the Praetor. Annabeth saw a lot of similarities between them.

"In better times and places, I think we could be friends."

Reyna looked curious, gripping the handle of her weapon. "Perhaps. But Romans and Greeks were never made to get along." She exited the barrack swiftly, gesturing for Annabeth to follow along.

Annabeth slipped her cap into her bag, before hoisting it over her shoulder and following Reyna. She kept thinking. What if Romans and Greeks could get along? Annabeth had a feeling that it _could _happen. Maybe not all too gracefully. But if the Greeks and Romans could work together now to defeat a greater evil, maybe there was hope for the future?

...

"This is how you'll be travelling for the next while," Reyna gestured to the boat that rocked gently in the water in front of them. The boat took Annabeth's breath away, she had to admit. Mostly made from wood and pieces of bronze and Imperial Gold, it was tall, slender and beautiful. It had an older style to it, with several oars that seemed to be powered by engines. Modern metal railing bordered the deck of the boat, and a tall mast rose up, with purple sails that wafted in the breeze.

"I thought Romans didn't like to travel by water?" Annabeth questioned, taking in the sight.

"We don't," Reyna answered simply. "This was built just these past days. It's called the _Salacia_, in hopes that the goddess herself will help them in their journey, and guard the boat."

Annabeth frowned. The speed and scale with what the people must've built with.. It was amazing, unlike anything she had ever seen or heard of before. Not even the Hephaestus cabin was capable of such speed. "_Salacia_? That's Amphitrite, right? Why not just pick Neptune as the name?"

Reyna pursed her lips, an action she appeared to do often. "As I may have mentioned already, we have a son of Neptune on board already. I'm trusting Lord Neptune will be kind enough to stop sea monsters from attacking his son's ship. Salacia, however, is a different matter. She hates Percy, and understandably so. Naming the ship after her may just gain a little bit of her help."

Suddenly, a figure ran down the gangplank, presumably to greet them. He had messy black hair, sea-green eyes and a troublemaker smile (one which Annabeth made a mental note to stay away from). Annabeth knew without a doubt that this boy was the son of Neptune that Reyna had previously been talking about.

"Reyna!" He held a pen firmly in his hand, something which Annabeth found strange.

"Percy," Reyna greeted, before talking fluently in Latin. Annabeth couldn't help but scowl. She hated not knowing their language, but Annabeth had always found it hard to learn languages, especially with her dyslexia. For some reason, Latin was harder than usual for her.

Judging by Reyna's gestures to Annabeth, she was introducing her. Suddenly switching back to English, she turned to Annabeth. "This is Perseus Jackson, son of Neptune, and the captain of the _Salacia_. Percy, this is Annabeth Chase."

Annabeth was distantly glad that Reyna had not mentioned anything about her being the daughter of Athena, or Minerva. It was a well known fact that Athena and Poseidon didn't get along, and Annabeth intended to stay as far away from this Percy Jackson as she possibly could. Her mother would undoubtedly not be happy if she interacted too much with the son of Neptune.

She shifted, her hand flying to her dagger as Percy looked her up and down carefully. He only smirked, his expressions seemingly saying, _bring it on_. Annabeth felt like punching him as he inspected her.

Annabeth scowled at him, dreading the days where she would have to be under his orders. She could already tell that he was not going to be pleasant company in the slightest.

Percy did not say anything, only turning back to Reyna, looking unaffected. "We've got all the troops ready for the ship. The sails are up and we're ready to go."

Reyna looked pained, but she nodded. "Then you must go. The sooner the better. You do realise you'll be setting off before the planes? You'll be the battering ram, the flaming light. You'll be the signal that we aren't being betrayed." Annabeth caught Reyna's uneasy side glance. Surprisingly, Annabeth wasn't too mad. It must've been hard. But they didn't understand. Lives were in danger.

"So.. We're the leaders, basically?"

"Yes."

He grinned, that same troublemaker smirk that Annabeth found unsettling. "Well. I think it's time to play Follow the Leader, then."

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**Thank You's: **Singaler, Ill elemental, DaughterofPoseidon12470, There'sAlwaysAnException, pococo, beckibean76, Tumbelinaface, and everyone who happens to read this! Thanks for reading, favouriting and following!

**A/N: **

So, a Saturday (well, it's Saturday over here at any rate) update. The next one may or may not be a while in coming, it's still uncertain. I'm pretty certain it's a Percy chapter, so hope you enjoy that (I'm not making any promises, by the way). I don't really have much to say other than that, so thanks again, and have a nice day/night/whatever you are experiencing right now!


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